The Philosophy of Storytelling

Hexigate 2018-01-24 04:07:35 UTC #1

I guess i've been seeking for some truths, some theories, some knowledge about...life.

I tell stories; and everybody else here tell stories...

So have any of you ever stopped and wondered why and how you're writing this page, or drawing this frame, or doing whatever you do to tell your stories?

What are your techniques and methods from which you create your stories? Why do you use such techniques and methods? Is there the "ideal" story out there? If there is, how should we pursue it?
What is your Philosophy and theories on Storytelling?

I'm asking you because, like i said before, i'm just looking to answer some personal questions. Maybe you all have some answers i can't yet see.

DiegoPalacios 2018-01-24 04:14:25 UTC #2

I found a surprisingly insightfull scene in Steven Universe about art and talent.

DiegoPalacios 2018-01-24 04:45:54 UTC #3

Now that i`m learning panneling and how it controls pacing, i have been extra conscious about frames.

What i learned in advertising is everything communicates. The background, the character pose, expression, silences, words, everything helps you communicate your story.

What makes a good story?, i thing a story is good if it completes it`s goal. For my comic, that is a comedy, the goal is to make people laugh like they never laughed before (or at least, as much as possible)

If my comedy is not funny, i failed. Simple as that. Other stories may have different goals, depending of the genre. Other comic`s goal may be to share a message to the world, to make readers live an experience, to give them a sense of wonder, it can vary a lot.

I read somewhere that 90% of the success of a story depends if the readers care or are interested in the characters. So, for me characterization is sacred.I make sure i know how my characters would react to any situation.

Also, i believe the first page is vital. You want to conquer your readers from the first second.

When it comes to pacing i follow the "value rule":

i make myself two questions, and the answer of at least one of them must be YES for me to make a page:
-Is this page relevant?
-Is this page entertaining?
If neither of those answers are yes, then that page is not necesary.(the ideal is to have yes at both questions)

I don`t think there is an ideal story, because each story has different goals. I believe the ideal would be aim for a better execution.

Hope this helps

Hexigate 2018-01-24 05:16:56 UTC #4

I agree with much of what you've said; in particular, these following points:

That description fits with my interpretation of stories as a form of rhetoric.

I'm interested where that 90% quantification came from. (especially since something as fluid as storytelling can never be completely measured or quantified.) However, i still agree that the role of characters in a story is one of paramount importance. I interpret characters as the lens through which the audience view the situation.

I can get behind that.

I lament. My earlier pages are terrible in comparison to the initial pages of other people's comics, or even my own, more current pages. Because i have so many views, yet so little subs or feedback, i'm afraid that people have come, seen my earlier pages, and left thinking there was nothing new to see.

Draconic 2018-01-24 05:36:26 UTC #5

This may sound like unrelated to your question, or I'm a party-pooper, but trust me, this is the answer you're looking for: The real philosophy of becoming an artist.

If you seriously want to become an artist, you need real people to teach you. What you can learn from the internet is just a fragment of real knowledge that you needed.

And to be honest, no master want to teach you for free seriously on the internet.

Why am I doing this? Because what you have asked is what you would be learned from any art school.

DiegoPalacios 2018-01-24 05:50:59 UTC #6

The 90% is from a "how to draw manga" book i have. I don't know how accurate it is, but it made a lot of sense to me, because when people talk about good stories, one of the things they remember fondly are the characters.

shazzbaa 2018-01-24 06:09:44 UTC #7

If you're interested in the hows and whys of what makes a story work or not work and resonate with us as a meaningful story in a more universal way, I actually recommend this series on storytelling? It seems like very basic hero's journey stuff but I think it has a lot of good insight and says things very simply.

A lot of times the reason why I'm "writing this page, or drawing this frame" is much more personal, though. I'm not pursuing an ideal story so much as trying to tell my own story well enough to be understood by others. I have something inside me and I want to figure out how to bring it to life outside my own head.

I heard someone say once that every time someone gives advice, they're secretly giving it to their younger self, whether they realise it or not. I think there's some truth to that, and some of that seems to apply to stories, also. Like, there's some part of me that wants to make a story my younger self needed to read, and in lieu of that audience, other people who can relate to my younger self can read it, too.

TimCaloweh 2018-01-24 06:10:16 UTC #8

A Passionate Writer is not someone who writes a lot. It is someone who writes good and spends the time to figure out the difference.

Do not put your own opinions when writing dialogue. A work of fiction is not an autobiography.

Do not put all your faith in the art. Imagine a beautiful book cover wrapped around a terrible story.

DiegoPalacios 2018-01-24 06:12:19 UTC #9

I agree. I learned a lot from a storytelling course i took at college. That course changed my view of how i tell stories and taught me how to make a work different.

I wish i learned more about panelling before starting my comic. I am currently fixing some newbies mistakes as part of my art upgrade. But the difference in how it looks makes it worth it. It feels cleaner.

Anyway, if someone can afford to go to a good art class and has the time, it can be a great help to learn faster what would take more time to figure out by himself/herself.

WednesdayAsh 2018-01-24 07:16:44 UTC #10

the basic premise of storytelling is to impart an experience onto an audience.

so before you create any story, its valueable to be concious of what experience you want your audience to experience and then tailor your training and technique to achieve it.

strohlchad 2018-01-24 14:41:17 UTC #11

Lots of good advice and opinions on this subject. You can find a million and one books on the subject by a million and one experts. Interestingly enough, none of that matters. Most of the advice out there is based on reverse engineering stories that have had success and hoping to catch that same lightning in a bottle. If only it were that easy. There are too many intangibles that go into it. Was the plot interesting? Did the characters interact well and merge with that plot? Was there an underlying theme that provoked thought or emotion? And did it all get out of its own way and feel like a seemless experience for the audience?

It's really trial and error. Tell stories. Get reactions. Feel what works. Feel what you're good at. I always say that writing and storytelling are similar to music. Maybe most everything is. Know when to play. Know when to be silent. Feel the beat. Dance.

Hexigate 2018-01-24 21:42:54 UTC #12

As a little kid, my mother saw that i had a knack for art, and sent me to an art school. I hated it back then. I didn't want any teacher telling me how to draw this line or see that reference, i wanted to make my own path.

It took a long time for me to realize that my mindset for "making my own path" is useless when i haven't learned how to make a path in the first place.

So here i am, in college, regretful of my past decisions. I'm sitting here with my homegrown "skills" and i've been living that maverick lifestyle my younger self strove for. Yet i feel deprived, depressed, and unsatisfied with my own skills. All because i refused to learn from those that went before me; i thought i was better than them.

Any money i do have belong elsewhere: Rent, groceries, bills, tuition, you know. I wish i can learn from someone, but...It feels like it's too late for me.

Hexigate 2018-01-24 21:48:05 UTC #13

I think that the best stories are personal.

That last paragraph is very resonant with me. I have a lot of regrets, and I...I see that now; how i'm speaking to myself. I've learned something new; Thank you.

dakotasapphire 2018-01-24 22:39:42 UTC #14

I like telling stories that are based on my own fantasies around people i know or concepts i'd love to explore. I'm still a newb at comics though,i've written a lot of stories though i could adapt.
I need to really work hard on anatomy tho.

dakotasapphire 2018-01-24 22:41:08 UTC #15

Homegrown is fine if you aren't selling your work. I think art is subjective... you can make it as obscure as you want. Just be consistent.

storytimebiondi 2018-01-25 00:50:21 UTC #16

Something that resonates with me anyway is the idea that "you have to earn it". This can be applied to character arcs, scenes, plots, or artwork. Basically, if you want a scene to mean something, or a character arc to resonate, you have to earn it in the storytelling.
You earn it by setting up emotional connections between the reader and your work. Imply things early on that pay off later (the loaded gun scenario, if you're familiar with that). If an emotional weakness is present in a character, make that the focus of a later story point, but make sure the audience resonates with the weakness.

Draconic 2018-01-25 02:56:19 UTC #17

Ask yourself: "is this path/job really worth to rot myself?". Because any path/job you choose, you will rotting yourself with it. Any path/job is hard, don't be just because it's boring you don't want to do it. Are you want to be better or not? Or just keep staying there and feeling bad for yourself because you don't want to do a boring thing?

You don't want to FEEL better, you want to BE better.

When you playing videogame, would you grind your character level up to fight some bosses? Grinding is the most boring part of any videogame, but you always have to if you want to progress the storyline. The same as real life, you need to grind your level to be better.

I'm 27 this year and haven't achieved anything yet with my artwork. Same as others, being an artist has never been easy for anyone. You will never feel satisfied with your artwork, you will never be able to learn enough. And that's a good thing, you need to find a way to make yourself better.

You're not too late, just try your best. learn anatomy, stick to your college and find a job after.

jpnakashima 2018-01-25 03:53:55 UTC #18

Many good answers here. I specially like @DiegoPalacios and @storytimebiondi visions.
I believe each story asks for different tools. Different pacing, different focuses. I mean, it's pretty obvious there's not one way to do it. Great artists have different styles that illuminate different aspects of storytelling.
I think you do have to stop and wonder why you're telling the story the way you are. I write, can't draw for crap, but I always discuss with my partners and give some suggestions for angles and layouts. I believe you have to visualize in a visual medium.

I can relate. Super relate. That said, my friend, learning is a never ending process. It never stops. You can always start. It's frustrating to feel ''left behind'', but I hope you power through. Think like this: here you are, looking to improve and with a series on Tapas. You're moving, and that's what matters.
(That's a case of ''do as I say, not as I do'', but oh I'm trying)

But is it not?
In a way, all we do is a mirror of ourselves, I believe. Stories are no different. There's some of us in each character.
Now, don't get me wrong, it's boring as shit when you read a story that has no characters, only discourse (I'd know, I've done some and regret it deeply), but still, it's your soul in the paper. It's you. To me, of course.

I kinda like to grind...

TimCaloweh 2018-01-25 04:18:04 UTC #19

Actually people these days tend to forget they are writing someone else's experiences. That's the whole point of creating a character. You gotta make them their own person. Especially in dialogue. The writers here can't remember to remove themselves from the work and expand on a different personality. You can notice this when the MC talks as though the story is in their favor.

jpnakashima 2018-01-25 04:28:15 UTC #20

I agree to a certain extent. I fully agree that a character should be its own person. I also fully believe what you say of dialogue. Each person has tics and ways of speaking and that is crucial.

But I love when, as I know more of an author, I can see him in his characters. Stories like The Invisibles by Grant Morrison, Promethea by Alan Moore, the Fourth World epic by Jack Kirby, Preacher by Garth Ennis, ANYTHING by Ales Kot... all of those super personal stories have characters take as stand ins for authors with grace and great effect. I mean, King Mob IS Grant Morrison.
But he's also not. He's King Mob. I think its in this balance, in making a character ringing true as well as representing yourself. That's where the trick lies to me, balance.
(I get what you say about comics here. As I said, I'm guilty of this. It's a tricky thing and us amateurs have yet to get there. Still, I believe it's all good to try)

The stories I feel are the greatest are about something. Themes. So its irrelevant in many ways to me if the author is stating his opinion using a character (as long it's consistent of course. Is the Punisher the best way to express your strong feelings about friend zone??) as long as they balance it, make it ring true and flesh out their themes.